Good day. Here are the top stories of The Manila Times for Thursday, July 22, 2021.
READ: Sotto, Lacson declare 2022 run
Sen. Panfilo "Ping" Lacson will aim for the presidency in 2022 with Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto 3rd as his running mate. Sotto, Nationalist People's Coalition (NPC) chairman, confirmed this on Wednesday in a radio interview. He said they will formally launch their candidacy on August 4. The Senate chief said he and Lacson make a good combination, he being a "consensus-builder" while Lacson a streetfighter,, being a former Philippine National Police chief.
READ: Leni admits: No means to mount decent campaign
Vice President Maria Leonor "Leni" Robredo on Tuesday admitted that she has no resources to launch a "decent" presidential campaign. Robredo, who has yet to announce whether or not she will run for president in the 2022 elections, told ANC's "After the Fact" that the current situation "is so different" from that in 2016. A Pulse Asia survey conducted from June 7 to 16, 2021 showed that 6 percent would have voted for Robredo if the presidential election wereheld during the survey period. This survey also showed, among others, that 28 percent would have voted for Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio if the presidential election were held during the survey period. Earlier this month Duterte-Carpio said that she was open to running for president in 2022.
READ: Cabinet men, celebrities in PDP-Laban Senate slate
Government officials, including members of President Rodrigo Duterte's Cabinet, must resign from their posts if they will run in next year's national elections, Malacañang said on Wednesday. Palace spokesman Harry Roque Jr. issued the statement following Eastern Samar Gov. Ben Evardone's announcement that some of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan's (PDP-Laban) senatorial candidates for the 2022 elections will come from Duterte's Cabinet. The initial list included Roque, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chairman Benjamin "Benhur" Abalos jr., Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar, Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission Chairman Greco Belgica, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello 3rd, Information and Communications Technology Secretary Gregorio Honasan 2nd, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Alexei Nograles, Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade, and Public Works Secretary Mark Villar. Also included in the pool of possible candidates are House Deputy Speaker Loren Legarda, Senate Majority Floor Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri and former senator Joseph Victor "JV" Ejercito. Entertainment personalities Willie Revillame and Robin Padilla as well as broadcaster Raffy Tulfo were also in the pool.
READ: Bucks end 50-year NBA title drought behind 50 from Giannis
GIANNIS Antetokounmpo ended one of the greatest NBA Finals ever with 50 points and a championship Milwaukee waited 50 years to win again. Antetokounmpo added 14 rebounds and five blocked shots as the Bucks beat the Phoenix Suns 105-98 on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila) to win the series 4-2. It was the third game this series with at least 40 points and 10 rebounds for Antetokounmpo. He shot 16 for 25 from the field and made 17-of-19 free throws after hitting just 55.6 percent in the postseason. The Bucks last won the championship in 1971 behind Lew Alcindor -- before becoming Kareem Abdul Jabar -- and Oscar Robertson.
Topping Business:
READ: Moody's lowers PH growth forecast
CREDIT rating firm Moody's Investors Service has lowered its 2021 growth forecast for the Philippines, still citing the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic as a cause of uncertainty. Moody's said in a report released on Wednesday that it expects the country's real gross domestic product (GDP) to increase by 5.8 percent this year, down from its previous estimate of 7 percent in January. An improvement in consumer spending and investment will strengthen Philippine domestic output, which will be bolstered by government fiscal support, it also underscored. The extent and speed of recovery, however, are subject to uncertainties relating to the coronavirus pandemic, as well as vaccination progress, according to the debt watcher.
In other Sports news:
READ: BUSINESS AS USUAL INSIDE ATHLETES VILLAGE
JAPAN may be under a State of Emergency, but it's business as usual inside the Athletes' Village of the Olympic Games here. Team Philippines' physician Dr. Randy Molo of the Philippine Sports Commission's Medical and Sports Science unit, revealed this to media men during breakfast at the Conrad Tokyo, secretariat headquarters of the delegation. According to the Team Philippines' doctor, athletes go about their businesses with guarded optimism inside the 44-hectare Athletes Village located in Tokyo's Harumi Waterfront District. Athletes, officials, and coaches numbering 6,700 inside the village undergo saliva testing for Covid-19 daily. Olympic organizers are hoping the village can be a Covid-free bubble, following the release of their so-called "Playbook" ruleson how athletes should move between competition venues, training centers, and their accommodation.
READ: Opinion, Editorial
Antonio Contreras, Yen Makabenta and Edcel Lagman are the columnists of the front page this Thursday. Contreras talks about an Isko Moreno and Manny Pacquiao tandem in 2022. Makabenta says the nation faces in 2022 a time of testing on dynastic politics. Lagman enumerates the valedictory SONAS of past presidents.
The Times, in its Editorial, writes about the Foodpanda scandal and the action taken by DoLE. Read the full version in the paper's Opinion Section or listen to the Voice of The Times.
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This is Christian Crow Maghanoy reporting.